Suthra Punjab faces financial strain
The Suthra Punjab Authority is facing financial and operational challenges with funding shortages, poor recovery of sanitation taxes, disputes with private contractors, delayed salaries and administrative issues affecting waste collection and cleanliness.
The difficulties have reportedly led to growing complaints of uncollected garbage and deteriorating sanitation services in several urban and rural areas, raising concerns about the sustainability of the provincial government's ambitious cleanliness initiative.
Launched by the Punjab government to extend organised waste management services from cities to villages, the Suthra Punjab programme oversees waste management companies across the province. More than Rs80 billion has been invested in the project, including the procurement of machinery and vehicles along with recruitment of sanitation staff.
According to official figures, the province has 176,846 sanitation workers and 32,704 garbage collection vehicles.
Waste collection services in all districts except Lahore have largely been outsourced to private contractors, while the Suthra Punjab Authority is responsible for monitoring the operations.
However, the project has encountered several obstacles.
Sources said the agreements required contractors to establish temporary collection points in their districts, but many were never constructed. The failing contractors were subsequently fined by the authority.
Contractors, however, argue that assistant commissioners were responsible for providing land for the collection points and had failed to do so.
They also dispute penalties imposed over incomplete door-to-door waste collection, claiming the circumstances were beyond their control.
The disagreements widened after the imposition of an additional three per cent tax. According to sources, the authority imposed penalties exceeding Rs10.51 billion on contractors for failing to establish collection points and ensure door-to-door garbage collection.
Contractors demanded withdrawal of the fines, but the issue remained unresolved, prompting many to suspend salary payments to sanitation workers and triggering protests in several districts.
The sources said the authority had sought over Rs30 billion from the Punjab government to address its financial needs but reportedly received around Rs10 billion.
Officials subsequently negotiated with contractors and cleared outstanding payments for up to June 30.
However, salaries for July remain unpaid in several districts.
The situation has also delayed the distribution of a Rs10,000 Eidul Azha bonus announced by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for sanitation workers. Employees in Rawalpindi staged protests recently over non-payment of salaries and bonuses.
The authority had also planned to generate Rs70 billion annually through a provincial sanitation tax to make the programme financially self-sustaining.
The officials acknowledged that poor enforcement and low public compliance had resulted in the collection of only about Rs1 billion.